Sigmar Polke [11 May-10 June 1966]

Black & white full-bleed illus. [4] leaves & text on inside of wrappers. Small 4to (210 x 150 mm.), orig. screen-printed wrappers, staple-bound. Berlin: Galerie René Block, 1966.


The scarce exhibition catalogue for Polke’s first solo exhibition, held at Galerie René Block in Berlin. Alongside Gerhard Richter and Konrad Lueg, Polke (1941-2010) formulated Capitalist Realism as a critique of the excesses of Pop Art. At this show, he displayed 22 pictures, six of which are illustrated in the catalogue and on the cover. A list of works exhibited is on the inside of front wrapper and artist’s biography and exhibitions on the inside of (truncated) the back wrapper. At Block’s request, Joseph Beuys has contributed a short text in which he calls Polke a “schlingelchen” (rascal).


A fine copy. In WorldCat, American libraries have incorrectly dated this catalogue “1967.”


❧ M. Babias, B. Eusterschulte, & S. Rollig, eds., René Block, Ich kenne kein Weekend. Ausstellungsprojekte, Texte und Dokumente seit 1964 (2015), pp. 460 & 522 (pictured). (Inventory #: 10868)